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A Gift of Wings
Once in a generation a book, a vision, a writer, capture the imagination and emotions of millions. Jonathan Livingston Seagull was such a book. Richard Bach's unique vision again shines forth, touching with magic the drama of life in all its limitless horizons. Once again Richard Bach has written a masterpiece to help you touch that part of your home that is the sky.
299 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
130 people are currently reading
1252 people want to read
About the author
Richard Bach
164 books3,769 followers
Since Jonathan Livingston Seagull - which dominated the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List for two consecutive years - Richard Bach has touched millions of people through his humor, wisdom and insight.
With over 60 million copies of his books sold, Richard Bach remains one of the world's most beloved authors. A former USAF fighter pilot, Air Force captain and latter-day barnstorming pilot, Bach continues to be an avid aviator-author, exploring and chronicling the joys and freedom of flying, reporting his findings to readers.
His most recent works include Travels with Puff, which recounts Bach's journey from Florida to Washington state in his small seaplane, Puff, and Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student, which incorporates Bach's real-life plane crash.
In October 2014, the never-before-published Part Four to Jonathan Livingston Seagull was published.
Readers can find more about Richard and his work at www.richardbach.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 6, 2012
A collection of short stories that Richard had published in Flying Magazine. I bought my (first ) copy on my 18th birthday. It gave the strength to believe in my dream of becoming a pilot. Some of the stories are brilliant in their simplicity, and depth. It might be a little too technical in places. Highly recommended.
September 6, 2009
I love everything Bach wrote. Don't always agree with his theology, but do his imagery.
March 7, 2012
Before I started reading this book, it had NEVER happened to me that I would feel that someone expresses my real and secret thoughts and feelings better than I do by myself. Now I know it's possible. And it's wonderful to see that not only I am a crazy dreamer who's in love with flying, but also a very experienced pilot feels something similar. I am lost for words about this book.
February 25, 2021
THIS MIGHT BE MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK EVER
Richard Bach tiene algo con las palabras... que hace que exprese idas complejas con conceptos simples, generalmente aplicados a lo que él sabe: volar aeroplanos. Cada cuento es un nuevo descubrimiento y les juro que si pudiera subrayar todo el libro lo haría, pero ya lo marqué bastante con mi lápiz, pobrecito.
Aunque me gustaron mucho todos, entre mis favoritos están "Carta de un hombre temeroso de Dios", "Dicen que cuando despertamos..." (que también es el prólogo y es exquisito), "Una chica de hace mucho tiempo", "Siempre hay un cielo", "El paraíso es algo personal", "Gente que vuela" y "El placer de su compañía", aunque seguro me estoy olvidando de alguno.
Hermoso.
"(...) y esa noche advertí algo que no había notado antes.
Que el cielo siempre se está moviendo, pero nunca se va.
Que ocurra lo que ocurra, el cielo siempre está con nosotros.
Y que al cielo no se lo puede molestar. Para el cielo mis problemas no existían, no habían existido nunca, ni nunca existirían.
El cielo no interpreta mal.
El cielo no juzga.
El cielo, simplemente, es."
➸5 estrellas
Richard Bach tiene algo con las palabras... que hace que exprese idas complejas con conceptos simples, generalmente aplicados a lo que él sabe: volar aeroplanos. Cada cuento es un nuevo descubrimiento y les juro que si pudiera subrayar todo el libro lo haría, pero ya lo marqué bastante con mi lápiz, pobrecito.
Aunque me gustaron mucho todos, entre mis favoritos están "Carta de un hombre temeroso de Dios", "Dicen que cuando despertamos..." (que también es el prólogo y es exquisito), "Una chica de hace mucho tiempo", "Siempre hay un cielo", "El paraíso es algo personal", "Gente que vuela" y "El placer de su compañía", aunque seguro me estoy olvidando de alguno.
Hermoso.
"(...) y esa noche advertí algo que no había notado antes.
Que el cielo siempre se está moviendo, pero nunca se va.
Que ocurra lo que ocurra, el cielo siempre está con nosotros.
Y que al cielo no se lo puede molestar. Para el cielo mis problemas no existían, no habían existido nunca, ni nunca existirían.
El cielo no interpreta mal.
El cielo no juzga.
El cielo, simplemente, es."
➸5 estrellas
May 25, 2009
An excellent compilation of the wide variety of Bach's capabilities as an aviation author. These short stories entertain and educate as well as give insight to the mind of the writer. Bach to me is comparable to earlier aviation authors along the St. Exupery or Anne Lindbergh genre. It's an easy read as most stories are short, some too much so. Bach has the ability to draw his reader in to his story and sometimes leaves them wanting more when he ends them.
July 16, 2016
Love the book. It's inspiring and allows to fly up in the sky every time I open it.
August 2, 2018
I'm not a pilot and never will be, so in my opinion..
Some of the stories had some nice points (School for perfection, Found at Pharisee, Letter from a God-fearing man), but mostly it was (for me) an over-enthusiastic rambling on flying, which I do not understand, as personally I am not one of those people. I prefer to look up at the sky, rather than look down at where I could be walking. But I can imagine some people would enjoy it and understand it way better than me, since they might have the need to get away and be free in the air. I'm just too happy on the ground and in the moment. In the end, the book is quite average for me, but I did appreciate the enthusiasm which you find on every page of the book. He really loves what he does and I am happy for him.
Some of the stories had some nice points (School for perfection, Found at Pharisee, Letter from a God-fearing man), but mostly it was (for me) an over-enthusiastic rambling on flying, which I do not understand, as personally I am not one of those people. I prefer to look up at the sky, rather than look down at where I could be walking. But I can imagine some people would enjoy it and understand it way better than me, since they might have the need to get away and be free in the air. I'm just too happy on the ground and in the moment. In the end, the book is quite average for me, but I did appreciate the enthusiasm which you find on every page of the book. He really loves what he does and I am happy for him.
May 19, 2011
This is great for anyone that loves flying. Bach takes you into the clouds with every detail of the pilots control. Places and scenes you'll never come to know until you've been behind the controls. Adventure in the open skies.
March 20, 2008
...makes me homesick for wind and sky ...
February 16, 2009
I'm stunned to find out how much of my life has been based on Richard Bach's writings - I guess I could do worse.
Read
February 18, 2010i learned to fly
December 30, 2012
A great read for any pilot.
October 9, 2014
Inspiring... <3
April 29, 2021
I started reading Mr. Bach's works when I was very young and in love with a very smart and progressively thinking young woman. We were in our teens. High school. All the drama. But, Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull changed the way I thought about things. That I wasn't "wrong" for thinking differently than the majority of people in my small town.
A Gift of Wings echoes in my love of motorcycling. What the plane is to Mr. Bach, the motorcycle is to me. I share so many similar thoughts that it becomes downright eerie to me.
I am grateful Mr. Bach shared his thoughts with us. I will dream of flying again.
Next month I am scheduling a "Discovery Flight" at a local flight school. I am 54 years old now.
A Gift of Wings echoes in my love of motorcycling. What the plane is to Mr. Bach, the motorcycle is to me. I share so many similar thoughts that it becomes downright eerie to me.
I am grateful Mr. Bach shared his thoughts with us. I will dream of flying again.
Next month I am scheduling a "Discovery Flight" at a local flight school. I am 54 years old now.
November 13, 2018
My first thought as I started reading this book was that it was not as inspirational as "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" or "Illusions;" but as I read along I changed my mind. The author is very perceptive and he shares his views through his flight experiences for example when he warns us that whatever we pray for we get. He himself finds out that the perspective he has found in flight means something more than all the miles he's flown.One of the more interesting essays in the book is where he compares "aviation 'and "flying."The most important lesson learned from this book though was that everything we need to know, is already within us, waiting till we call it.
June 6, 2023
Um livro muito interessante para quem gostar de aviões. Sobre a forma como são feitos, os diferentes tipos e também histórias sobre aviação. Apesar de não gostar muito de aviões e ter ficado algo desapontado por já ter lido previamente outra obra do autor (que tinha gostado bastante) apreciei muito a forma como o autor fala sobre voar dando-lhe um valor de liberdade e crescimento pessoal por exemplo de perceber a ascendência do vosso próprio avião. O livro apresenta descrições de aviões muito detalhadas e difíceis de entender para quem não percebe de aviões.
September 10, 2021
This was a bit slow to get into, but some parts made me smile. The last chapter was a redemption, and I really laughed on the page that ended mid-sentence, for reasons obvious if you are reading the book. It is very much a book for "airplane people," reminding me why a relationship with a pilot didn't work out. 😏
December 15, 2017
This collection of short stories about flight was a really enjoyable read. Lots of beautiful imagery that sparked a deep appreciation for the art. Also some good messages about how to live a good life that are universally applicable.
August 25, 2023
Il desiderio di staccare i piedi dalla sicurezza del suolo e, più in generale, l'anima dalle certezze e difficoltà della vita, per raggiungere un luogo al di là dello spazio e del tempo, non è da tutti. Però è da me. Perciò adoro tutti i libri di Bach.
February 6, 2018
A set of short essays previously written for aviation magazines. Interesting and insightful.
January 19, 2019
Lovely collection of short stories. Most would think they'd only appeal to those who have flown, but it's not the case.
March 9, 2019
A nice book about what it feels like to be an airman.
March 4, 2021
Beautiful book.
I read it went I was younger and now I can understand why the life of a eagle.
I read it went I was younger and now I can understand why the life of a eagle.
August 9, 2022
Abbandono, non ho ritrovato la scrittura che mi aveva conquistato
January 24, 2023
I enjoyed this book. I love his passion for flying and he is a good story teller. He describes the flying experience beautifully.
July 19, 2024
leve, reflexivo, nada muito demais, mas fofo e bem escrito. as histórias cumpridas eu não li, preguiça.
July 13, 2025
this was my second time through. I enjoyed the trip.
July 6, 2017
3 1/2 stars
This book is not for everyone.
I start with this because I'm seeing a lot of five stars reviews and they probably come for a lot of people who love flying.
I love flying too. I studied to be a flight attendant (among other things) because my view is not so great as to fly for a living (although I still want to pursue that pilot license), but I recognize that this book doesn't have much to do with Illusions and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It is a collection of short stories that were published through the years by the author on Flying Magazine. I mean, the essence of Richard Bach is still there, but this stories felt more like his diary. There was some fiction in between but mostly they were (presented, at least) as non-fiction.
Some of these stories were really great, some not so much, but in many of them the author makes you think.
I got distracted a little bit by some of his... let's say 'pride'... as a pilot. I don't think a pilot is a better person that anyone else just for flying, but this is what he wants to let you know on some of this pages. At least it seems like it. He gets kind of angry sometimes when people don't want to go flying with him on a sunday afternoon, and even impersonates one of these characters rather satirically on his final tale. Those are really one dimentional characters that have a clear distinction between who is the bad one and who is the good one. The good one flyes, the bad one leads a more common life.
--------------------
Bach is a very religious man, if you take flying as his religion, and that shows a lot in this book. But, even if you do not fly, I'm sure you will at least think about booking a class after finishing this reading. It's inspiring. I know that one word describes everything Bach ever writes but it really is. There's something beautiful about reading about something from a person who feels such passion for it. If we could do anything in our lives with the same passion with which he flyes, I'm sure we'd all live a much happier life.
So, going back to my first line of this review, this book is not for everyone, but if you feel passionate about anything, this might be a good book for you.
This book is not for everyone.
I start with this because I'm seeing a lot of five stars reviews and they probably come for a lot of people who love flying.
I love flying too. I studied to be a flight attendant (among other things) because my view is not so great as to fly for a living (although I still want to pursue that pilot license), but I recognize that this book doesn't have much to do with Illusions and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It is a collection of short stories that were published through the years by the author on Flying Magazine. I mean, the essence of Richard Bach is still there, but this stories felt more like his diary. There was some fiction in between but mostly they were (presented, at least) as non-fiction.
Some of these stories were really great, some not so much, but in many of them the author makes you think.
I got distracted a little bit by some of his... let's say 'pride'... as a pilot. I don't think a pilot is a better person that anyone else just for flying, but this is what he wants to let you know on some of this pages. At least it seems like it. He gets kind of angry sometimes when people don't want to go flying with him on a sunday afternoon, and even impersonates one of these characters rather satirically on his final tale. Those are really one dimentional characters that have a clear distinction between who is the bad one and who is the good one. The good one flyes, the bad one leads a more common life.
--------------------
Bach is a very religious man, if you take flying as his religion, and that shows a lot in this book. But, even if you do not fly, I'm sure you will at least think about booking a class after finishing this reading. It's inspiring. I know that one word describes everything Bach ever writes but it really is. There's something beautiful about reading about something from a person who feels such passion for it. If we could do anything in our lives with the same passion with which he flyes, I'm sure we'd all live a much happier life.
So, going back to my first line of this review, this book is not for everyone, but if you feel passionate about anything, this might be a good book for you.
December 22, 2020
Review posted on my blog The Writer's Library.
I am no pilot. I don't know about fuel gauges, aviation, airports, or turbulence. I'm not a mechanic. Nuts and bolts are just objects to me; meaningless objects. Yet somehow this book grabbed me and refused to let me go until I'd finished.
A collection of very nice short stories indeed. Some I liked more than others. Some were just so philosophical I automatically understood and loved them ("Letters from a God-fearing Man"). It's not Bach's best; it's one of his most interesting, though. It packed something that even those who do not know the joy of flying could understand. It makes me want to ride a biplane into a golden sunset, and that's saying something.
All in all, an enjoyable read that will make those on the ground feel as if they are in the air and a part of it.
I am no pilot. I don't know about fuel gauges, aviation, airports, or turbulence. I'm not a mechanic. Nuts and bolts are just objects to me; meaningless objects. Yet somehow this book grabbed me and refused to let me go until I'd finished.
A collection of very nice short stories indeed. Some I liked more than others. Some were just so philosophical I automatically understood and loved them ("Letters from a God-fearing Man"). It's not Bach's best; it's one of his most interesting, though. It packed something that even those who do not know the joy of flying could understand. It makes me want to ride a biplane into a golden sunset, and that's saying something.
All in all, an enjoyable read that will make those on the ground feel as if they are in the air and a part of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews